Obama Tries to Run Over Auto Industry

July 21, 2011

Democrats Are Pushing Yet Another Job-Destroying Regulation, This Time Targeting Automakers and Their Consumers

Desperate to find a bright spot in Democrats’ failed economic agenda, President Obama has been claiming that he “rescue[d] this [auto] industry from a crisis.”
But the very industry Obama credits himself with reviving is now launching an ad campaign against Obama’s own policies. New regulations are coming out of the administration that automakers claim would “threaten [their] progress” and impose an “electric vehicle mandate” that would hurt consumers and increase car prices by up to $6,000.
Sadly, these types of job-destroying regulations are all too frequent from an administration that villainizes job creators as a matter of habit.

BACKGROUND:

Desperate to find a bright spot in Democrats’ failed economic agenda, President Obama has been claiming that he “rescue[d] this [auto] industry from a crisis”:

PRESIDENT OBAMA GOES ON PUBLICITY BLITZ FOR THE AUTO BAILOUT: “But we decided to do more than rescue this industry from a crisis. We decided to help it retool for a new age, and that’s what we’re doing all across the country – we’re making sure America can out-build, out-innovate, and out-compete the rest of the world.” (“Remarks of President Obama,” The White House, 6/4/2011)

AND “TOUTS AUTO INDUSTRY RECOVERY.” (Mark Guarino, “Obama Touts Auto Industry Recovery While GOP Asks ‘What Jobs?’,” The Christian Science Monitor, 6/4/2011)

But the very industry Obama credits himself with reviving is now launching an ad campaign against Obama’s own policies. New regulations are coming out of the administration that automakers claim would “threaten [their] progress” and impose an “electric vehicle mandate” that would hurt consumers and increase car prices by up to $6,000:

OBAMA TRYING TO DOUBLE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS. (Shannon Terlep, “Auto Makers, White House Spar on Fuel Economy Goal,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/19/2011)

U.S. AUTOMAKERS “ACCUSING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OF THREATENING THE INDUSTRY’S FRAGILE RECOVERY.” (Fred Maier, “Automakers Will Air Ads Attacking Obama’s 56.2 MPG Rule,” USA Today, 7/18/2011)

AUTOMAKERS SAY OBAMA IS PROPOSING AN “ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE.” (Fred Maier, “Automakers Will Air Ads Attacking Obama’s 56.2 MPG Rule,” USA Today, 7/18/2011)

ESTIMATES: NEW OBAMA REGULATIONS WILL INCREASE COST OF A CAR BY “$6,000 OR MORE.” (Shannon Terlep, “Auto Makers, White House Spar on Fuel Economy Goal,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/19/2011)

EVEN SENIOR DEMOCRAT SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI) ISN’T SURE HOW OBAMA CAME UP WITH HIS NEW CAR REGULATIONS: “‘We’re trying to get the administration to answer fundamental questions about where this [figure] came from,’ Sen. Carl Levin said.” (Shannon Terlep, “Auto Makers, White House Spar on Fuel Economy Goal,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/19/2011)

Sadly, these types of job-destroying regulations are all too frequent from an administration that villainizes job creators as a matter of habit. If Democrats are as concerned about job creation as they claim, why won’t they abandon their job-destroying policies?:

“EPA CHIEF STANDS FIRM” AS JOB-DESTROYING NEW REGULATIONS THAT WILL HIT “EVERY CORNER OF THE ECONOMY” LOOM. (John M. Broder, “EPA Chief Stands Firm as Tough Rules Loom,” The New York Times, 7/6/2011)

EPA TO “STICK TO ITS GUNS” AND CONTINUE ITS JOB-DESTROYING REGULATORY ONSLAUGHT: “Nine top business and industry officials walked into EPA headquarters Friday afternoon to tell agency chief Lisa Jackson exactly what they think of her plans to tighten the federal ozone standard. But they left the meeting convinced that EPA planned to stick to its guns and are now taking their case to a higher power: The White House. They say the stricter ozone standards would hurt both industry and President Barack Obama’s chances for reelection.” (Robin Bravender, “Industry: EPA Hurts Obama in 2012,” Politico, 7/15/2011)

MANUFACTURERS ALLIANCE: EPA OZONE RULE WILL DESTROY 7.3 MILLION JOBS BY 2020. (Paul Bedard, “New Fears EPA Smog Rule Will Cost 7.3 Million Jobs,” U.S. News and World Report, 7/19/2011)

BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE: EPA’S OZONE RULE WILL BE “THE SINGLE MOST EXPENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION EVER IMPOSED.” (Robin Bravender, “Industry: EPA Hurts Obama in 2012,” Politico, 7/15/2011)

WSJ: EPA “TRIES TO SCUTTLE OIL TRANSPORT” PROJECT THAT WOULD CREATE JOBS. (Editorial, “Jobs in the Pipeline: The EPA Tries to Scuttle Oil Transport from Canada’s Tar Sands,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/7/2011)

EPA RAMMING THROUGH NEW COAL RULES THAT JOB CREATORS CALL “UNREASONABLE, UNNECESSARY AND DISRUPTIVE.” (Ryan Tracy and Tennille Tracy, “EPA to Require New Pollution Cuts,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/8/2011)